To be perfectly honest, I wasn't enthralled by this particular book by Joel Osteen. Usually I am a big fan of his books and I enjoy reading them. But for some reason, this one just wasn't hitting me.

Part of the issue lies in the fact that, as usual, Mr. Osteen has a habit of saying things like "Scripture says", stating what it says, but not where to find it. It is a gripe I have with pretty much every book of his - that he never seems to tell where these scriptures are, just that it is somewhere in the Bible. But another issue was the overwhelming sense of prosperity gospel that permeated these pages.

Normally I don't get the sense of prosperity gospel, but this book was all about do this, do that, and God will bless you abundantly. If you don't, you won't get blessings. I suppose this wouldn't bother me as much if I didn't see examples all around me of people doing precisely opposite of what is stated in the book and getting blessed beyond measure.

I was particularly annoyed by a story in which Mr. Osteen stated he'd been sent to the store by his wife. He wasn't dressed the best - he'd just finished a workout - and stated that God told him he couldn't go into the store looking like that, so he turned around, went home, showered, got dressed in better clothing, and then went back to the store. Exactly why would God care if you go into the store in your sweaty workout clothes? He was clothed. He was appropriately clothed, if not fashionably clothed. Pretty sure God didn't care, Joel Osteen cared.

Most of his books are hits for me, but this one was just a big miss.

I do not think you can ever go wrong with Joel Osteen and his new book Excellence is just that...Excellent. He is so motivating and really makes you believe you can do anything. He offers simple steps on how to achieve Excellence while honoring God. This a quick read and definitely worth reading multiple times. Thank you NetGalley.

Excellence is an inspiring guide that motivates readers to elevate their lives through a commitment to excellence and integrity. The book emphasizes that true success and happiness come from striving for greatness in every aspect of life, even when no one is watching. It offers practical advice on how to seize opportunities, go the extra mile, and maintain high standards in all endeavors. This uplifting read provides a roadmap for achieving your highest potential, gaining recognition for your dedication, focusing on a higher purpose, and replacing mediocrity with enthusiasm and passion. If you feel burnt out and less-than, this book will help you rediscover a sense of purpose and excellence in everything you do.

This book will help you achieve new levels of success and hope in your lives, no matter your current circumstances. Osteen helps us to see what is defined by excellence in our life. It really need perseverance, favor, increase, promotion, and reaching your highest potential

Excellence by Joel Osteen Book Review


In Excellence, Joel Osteen encouraged readers to be people of excellence and to follow God with great character and integrity. Mediocrity is being more popular and people prefer to do the bare minimum to just get by. We would rather be average. Some may even be slacking off or arriving late to work. He instructed us to not follow the crowd and to take pride into our own work. Joel explained how instead God has called us to be above and to be people of excellence and integrity. In the work setting, we should be a model employee for our company. We should be on time, have a great attitude, and going above and beyond. The new trainee should be able to look up to us for guidance. Scriptures even declare how if a solider tells us to carry his gear for one mile we should instead carry it for two and be good steward. Joel even went on to share how he chooses to rewatch his online services. He personally helps his video editor to edit his sermons before they are broadcasted on TV. He studies each one to see what he could improve on and also the lighting and camera angles. He doesn’t want people to become stagnant. In the book, he reminded readers that they represent God and should be people of excellence. This applies to our appearance and work ethic. This book is a small compact book with a mixture of some of the material found in You Can, You Will, The Power of I Am, and Break Out.



One of my favorite examples he used was about a young man who had a dream of being a professional football player. He did well in school and performed great at the sport. He was just a little shorter than the coaches thought he should be. They didn’t think he had what it took in college sports. He went to a junior college and worked delivering pizza. He quit football completely. He delivered it one day to a family and a ten year old boy asked him why he was delivering pizza. He thought about the boys comments and then he got his motivation back and started training again. He gained about 70 pounds and grew stronger. He tried out for a major university and worked his way up to a star player. He went on to become an NFL player. Joel asked readers if they had settled for less than God’s plan for you. He explained how we are created to be the head and not the tail. We need believe that we are well equipped to handle whatever we need to do.


Another impactful story was about a professor who was handing out tests for his students. He decided to provide with a special incentive as their last test. They could hand in the test and get an automatic C and they wouldn’t have to take the test. About half of the test opted to take that route. The rest of the students were given the test and he encouraged them and told them he was proud of their hard work. When they flipped over the test, it told them they made an A. Joel instructed readers to be the second group and to strive for excellence. The A’s would have been worth the risk if they would have only believed.


I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking encouragement and they are ready to have a spirit and mindset of excellence. I appreciated how real he was in sharing how we shouldn’t be settling for less than God’s best. We need to be on time at work and having a positive attitude that we are working for God. He encouraged readers to not slack off and to focus on work when we are supposed to be working. We can choose to not settle for mediocre instead we can go above and beyond. He shared how he picks up trash he finds in his church and how we don’t need to become so big that we don’t help others. I really enjoyed how this book was a compilation of three of his different books and it’s very easy to study the principles enclosed in this book.



I received this book free from Faith Words for my honest review.”

Excellence by Joel Osteen is a digest composed of previously published material, and as such is a quick, motivating read. After finishing one of Pastor Osteen's books, I am always inspired to live a more faithful life, and this tome is especially hopeful. I expect to purchase and gift copies of Excellence to friends and family who need encouragement to keep striving for excellence and not get discouraged when met with obstacles. Osteen has a positive, encouraging message that is applicable to whatever stage you currently are in your life, and gives small, actionable steps to becoming the best you can be.

Thank you to Faithwords and Netgalley for the digital ARC of Excellence by Joel Osteen. The opinions in this review are my own.